WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Power Pack #3 by Ryan North, Nico Leon, Rachelle Rosenberg, and VC's Travis Lanham on sale now.
Power Pack has recently returned to the superhero scene after Alex and Julie Power were called back to Earth through the Fantastic Four's new Forever Gate. But they missed a lot during their time away. The implementation of Kamala's Law made it illegal for underage superheroes to operate without a registered mentor. But the one they chose turned out to be the Wizard in disguise.
He attempted to siphon the team's powers into himself, trapping them when they discovered the truth. But before he could complete his plan, Julie gathered what little power remained inside her and unleashed it, freeing her siblings, and potentially sacrificing herself in the process.
As the oldest girl in the Power Pack team, Julie has always taken on a maternal role amongst her siblings. In her younger years, she would repair her siblings' super suits after they returned from a battle, look after Katie Power, the youngest of the group, and try to mediate between any potential arguments that could have hindered the team's effectiveness. In short, Julie was the most responsible out of her siblings, trying to keep a level head and doing what needed to be done even if it made her uncomfortable or ignored her own personal feelings. So it is not so surprising that she was the one to make this decision.
After discovering that the Wizard had been stealing their powers with the machine they originally believed was generating clean energy, Power Pack tried to attack but were quickly detained in pods. The Wizard, the blowhard that he is, went on a monologue about how he was going to steal the rest of their powers and conquer the world. Julie, who prior to this had been doing a retrospection on her life, was having none of this. She had been wondering if she was a "real hero" as she put it. She had quit once before, to avoid getting hurt and she felt this made her a coward. Real heroes, in her eyes, would sacrifice themselves for the ones they loved before ever truly quitting. And it would seem like that's exactly what she did.
Julie unleashed one last burst of power that seemed to consume her, but free her brothers and sister. She saved them and proved herself a hero, but the cost has yet to be revealed. What if it was too much and she died in the process? Her sacrifice would have major consequences for not just the team, but her entire family. The immediate result would be her siblings' reaction. Assuming they can escape the Wizard, if they don't try to kill him for causing Julie's death, then it's very likely that Power Pack will be disbanded.
It was always a family thing. The four of them fighting crime, helping out, and having fun. When Alex and Julie left with the Future Foundation, the team was basically defunct. But that was only temporary as the oldest Powers were still out there and would return one day. But the death of one of them could be the thing that breaks the team permanently. Not just because they lost a member, but also because they would finally have to tell their parents the truth about their activities and in the process tell them that one of their children is dead. Her death wouldn't just mean the breaking of the team, it could potentially ruin their entire family.
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